Who Is Nikki Secondino? Trans Woman Accused of Murdering Father

A New York transgender woman has been arrested by police and is accused of killing her father and critically injuring her sister, according to reports.

Nikki Secondino, 22, was arrested on Thursday night in connection with the attack that saw her father, Carlo Secondino, stabbed to death and her sister, Liana Secondino, taken to hospital in a critical condition.

According to an International Business Times report, Nikki Secondino initially told police that she and her family were attacked by two assailants during a break-in.

Police arrested Nikki Secondino after she confessed to lying to police about the home invasion, according to a tweet by CBS reporter Tim McNicholas.

He tweeted: "At a Brooklyn diner, employees put up a tribute to Carlo Secondino, a delivery driver killed this morning.

"His daughter told police burglars at their home stabbed her, her sister, and Carlo.

"Now police say that's false. She is under arrest, facing a murder charge."

In her home invasion story, Nikki Secondino alleged that robbers broke into their 17th Avenue in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood home at 6 a.m. on Thursday and demanded money from a safe.

Authorities later noted that there was no safe in the home. They also added that they believe Nikki Secondino fabricated the break-in to cover her tracks of the attack.

According to the IB Times report, Nikki Secondino has been charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

The co-owner of Mike's Diner, Yadira Gomez, where Carlo Secondino worked spoke to media about the attack and weighed in on the family.

She said that Carlo supported Nikki's transition but also seemed distracted by "family issues."

Reiterating her father's support of Nikki's sex change, Gomez told Daily News: "He was there to take care of her after the surgery. He supported her 100 percent. That's his daughter: 'Whatever you want to do, I'll support you.'"

Speaking to the New York Post, Gomez said: "I know that there was (sic) always fights. He was always working here all day, but during the day he would always say she's crazy, she's got some issues, problems, she doesn't want to work out," she said while

"These girls were abandoned by their mom when they were little, so he was the only one there as a mother figure and father figure.

"Everybody loved that guy here. It's a big loss for everybody. He would work. He never said no to nothing, helped everybody."

Newsweek has contacted the New York Police Department for comment.